A seven-car pileup on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles happened Friday afternoon.
The accident occurred at 2:17 p.m., north of Hill Street. According to Officer Christian Cracraft of the California Highway Patrol, the multi-vehicle collision blocked two of the three lanes of northbound traffic. Traffic was backed up all the way to the 10 freeway.
A Metro bus was at the scene, but it is not clear if it was involved in the accident.
The Los Angeles Fire Department and three California Highway Patrol units responded to the accident.
Multi-vehicle freeway pileups are most likely to happen on Friday afternoons, when traffic is heavy and people are heading out of town for the weekend or heading home from work and are often distracted.
Tips to avoid being rear-ended in a car accident:
- When you come to a stop, leave a little room between the front of your car and the back of the car ahead of you. That way, if you notice a driver coming up behind you quickly, you may be able to avoid being rear-ended by inching forward.
- Make sure your brake lights are working.
- Always allow enough room ahead of you so that you can brake smoothly and gradually.
- Signal before you change lanes.
- Keep your eye on traffic behind you. If someone is following too closely, change lanes and let them pass.
- Avoid other driver's blind spots.